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Degenerative Arthritis |
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Degenerative arthritis is another name for
osteoarthritis, a type of arthritis characterized by inflammation,
breakdown, and eventual loss of the cartilage found in the joints. There are
actually more than a hundred different kinds of arthritis but the most
common is degenerative arthritis, affecting more than 20 million of the
estimated 70 million arthritic patients. It is said to occur mostly after
the age 45 and is more common among women than in men. The disease affects
the hands, feet, spine, and the major weight bearing joints of the body:
hips and knees.
Cause
Medical science has yet to prove the exact cause of degenerative arthritis
but all evidences point to aging as a major contributive factor. At the
onset of aging, the water content of the cartilage increases, causing its
protein make up to degenerate.
Add to that repetitive usage of the joints through the years and the
constant movement causes the cartilage to irritate and eventually inflame.
This, in turn, causes joint pain and swelling. As the disease progresses,
the cartilage eventually begins to erode either by flaking or forming tiny
crevasses. Severe cases of degenerative arthritis shows total destruction of
the cartilage, thus resulting in the loss of the protective cushioning that
the tissue provides.
The constant friction between the bones causes subsequent damage to the
joints, leading to pain and limitation of joint mobility. In addition, the
inflammation of the cartilage will lead the body to create new bone
outgrowths, called spurs. These outgrowths typically form around the joints,
causing some deformity.
It has been observed that degenerative arthritis frequently occurs among
family members. This implies that degenerative arthritis may also be
hereditary or genetic in nature.
Signs
Degenerative arthritis specifically affects only the joints, unlike other
forms of arthritis which are systemic – meaning, they affect other internal
organs, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus.
The easiest symptom of degenerative arthritis to detect is pain in the
joints after repetitive use. Often, the pain in the joints grows worse later
in the day. Swelling, warmth, and creaking of the affected joints are other
signs to watch out for.
If the patient has been inactive for a long period, stiffness can occur as
well as pain. In severe cases, when the cartilage is completely lost, even
limited motion can cause extreme bouts of arthritic pain.
The symptoms of degenerative arthritis are varied, depending on the
individual patient. Some patients are so hampered by the symptoms that they
end up debilitated by the disease. Others, on the other hand, suffer
remarkably few symptoms.
In addition, degenerative arthritis symptoms are intermittent. This means
that patients suffering from this disease may experience years of pain free
intervals before the symptoms set in again.
When degenerative arthritis affects the knees, the condition is often
associated with obesity or a history of repeated injury and/or joint
surgery. As the cartilage of the knee joints continues to degenerate, this
could result in deformity in the form of outward curvature of the knees
commonly referred to as “bow legged.” Sometimes, it may even cause limping
among patients.
Treatment
There is no cure for degenerative arthritis, as typical of all forms of
arthritis. Loss or damage to the cartilage is irreversible as medical
science has yet to find an effective, proven method to grow back cartilage.
However, there are many pain relieving drugs to help patients cope with the
pain associated with this disorder. |
| This article
is provided courtesy of Roxanne Courtmanch. Please visit
www.thehelpingcircle.com for more articles on arthritis
as well as many other topics that may be of interest to you.
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